Thermodynamics Fundamentals Quiz

Study Notes

Introduction

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat and temperature. It studies how energy flows between objects and systems, especially in relation to their temperature and pressure. This article will explore the subtopics of the Ideal Gas Law, the First Law of Thermodynamics, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Ideal Gas Law

The ideal gas law is used to describe the behavior of a completely elastic gas under the simplifying assumption that all gas molecules are point masses without volume. This equation can be written as PV = nRT, where P represents pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles of gas, R is the ideal gas constant, and T stands for absolute temperature. When this equation holds true, it indicates that the gas behaves ideally.

First Law of Thermodynamics

Also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, the first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form into another. In other words, energy transfers occur when work is done by a system at constant temperature or when there is a temperature difference within the system.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

This fundamental principle of thermodynamics states that any spontaneous process tends to increase the entropy of its surroundings. Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness of a system. The second law implies that no process is possible whose sole result is the reversible transformation of heat into internal energy in a closed system without producing some effect in the external world which corresponds to the reverse operation of a Carnot engine. In essence, it highlights the irreversibility of natural processes, such as heat flowing from hotter to colder bodies until thermal equilibrium is reached.